My phone kept disconnecting from my aux cord in the car. Every bump in the road — silence. Then music. Then silence. I thought the cord was broken. Bought a new one. Same problem.

Turns out my headphone jack was packed with lint. Pocket lint from months of carrying my phone. The plug couldn’t seat all the way in.

Before you buy a new phone

This is the most common phone repair that doesn’t require a repair. If your headphone plug doesn’t click all the way in — or if it falls out easily — nine times out of ten, the problem is compacted lint in the jack.

Check first: shine a flashlight into the jack. If you see grayish fuzz at the bottom, that’s your problem.

The cotton swab method

Regular cotton swabs are too thick to fit inside a headphone jack. You need to pull off some of the cotton from the tip. Strip it down until it’s thin enough to slide in without force.

Then:

1. Power off your phone. Not strictly necessary but eliminates any short-circuit risk.
2. Use the thinned-out cotton swab — gently insert it into the jack.
3. Twist, don’t push. The twisting motion grabs lint. Pushing just compacts it deeper.
4. Pull the swab out. You’ll see lint on the cotton.
5. Repeat with fresh swabs until they come out clean.

What to use instead of cotton swabs

• Wooden toothpick: Sharper, gets into corners. Be gentle — don’t scrape the metal contacts. Twist to grab lint, don’t dig.
• Plastic dental floss pick: The curved pick end works surprisingly well. Already in your bathroom.
• Compressed air: Quick blast. Don’t hold the can upside down — the propellant liquid can damage electronics.
• Interdental brush: Those tiny brushes for cleaning between teeth. Perfect size. Gentle. Works on charging ports too.

What definitely not to use

Paper clips. Metal can short the contacts inside the jack, even with the phone off — there might still be residual charge. Also: anything wet. No alcohol on the swab. No water. Dry cleaning only.

After cleaning, test with headphones. The plug should click in firmly and stay put. If it still won’t seat, you might have a bent pin inside the jack — that needs professional repair.